Before Hovakah Bosin Jr. was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago, the Flandreau boy’s family had postponed taking a Disney vacation.

Last month, their dream trip came true with a Make A Wish gift to Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World in Florida.

“It really did exceed any of our expectations that we could have,” says Jessica Hovland, Hovakah’s mother. “There’s nothing to prepare you for a Disney Make A Wish trip.”

At 7, her son’s favorite ride was Space Mountain, but there were so many other adventures and amazing moments that at times it was overwhelming, the family says.

For starters, their Sioux Falls hotel room had Donald Duck footprints and candy in it when they checked in the night before their early morning plane ride. They walked a red carpet to a limo for the short ride to the airport. Hovakah, a first grader, got to sit in the plane’s cockpit for a photo and a pair of wings, and the flight crew announced that he was a special guest on board taking his Make A Wish trip. That was before they even departed for Florida.

Once there, the family, including sister, Autumn, 9, stayed at the Give Kids the World village where they could eat, get ice cream, see a movie, swim, order pizza, get cookies from a cookie cart, play at an arcade and more. For three days, they spent time at Disney, getting the royal treatment with a special passport to skip waiting in long lines. They rode rides, saw characters and stayed for fireworks at night. At one point, Snow White saved Hovakah from rolling away in the cart the family used to wheel him around the park so he could conserve his energy.

She didn’t even break out of character when she went after the boy, Hovland said.

“I’ve never been to anything like that. It was a treat for me,” Bosin Sr. said. He and Autumn went on the most intimidating rollercoasters because they both loved them. Hovakah chose more subdued rides. They all got wet on a water ride and when the whales splashed the kids at Sea World.

One of the more emotional things the family did while on their trip was see a star with Hovakah’s name on it placed among the tens of thousands of other children’s stars in the castle of miracles at the village where they stayed.

The all-inclusive Make A Wish trip was sponsored in part through the local business, Loiseau Construction. The entire trip was designed to relieve stress, something the family has experienced with their son’s illness, doctor appointments and catching up with his return to school after taking time off when he was first sick.

The trip, while tiring and exciting at the same time, was a break in a cycle of treatments that started in the fall of 2016 when Hovakah was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. His initial symptom was a rash that continued to get worse. His white blood cell count was extremely elevated and his organs were stressed.

“It was very, very fast,” Hovland says.

“He was playing soccer the week before,” Bosin Sr. says.

While Hovakah is in remission, he is not cured and will complete two more years of monthly chemo and steroids and additional procedures at Sanford’s children’s castle in Sioux Falls.

Hovakah’s medicines are administered through a port that is surgically implanted in his chest, something that he is continually aware of even when he plays. The day after the family returned to Flandreau from Florida, he had his next chemo appointment. “Reality hit us as soon as we got home,” Hovland says.

But, they have future plans when his treatments are finished, too.

“As soon as the port is out, we’re going on another trip,” she says.